loblolly pine

Loblolly pine can reach a height of 30–35 meters (98–115 feet) with a diameter of 0.4–1.5 m (1.3–4.9 ft). Exceptional specimens may reach 50 m (160 ft) tall, the largest of the southern pines. Its needles are in bundles (fascicles) of three, sometimes twisted, and measure 12–22 centimeters (4+3⁄4–8+3⁄4 inches) long, an intermediate length for southern pines, shorter than those of the longleaf pine or slash pine, but longer than those of the shortleaf pine and spruce pine. The needles usually last up to two years before they fall, which gives the species its evergreen character. Needles are yellowish-green to grayish green. Although some needles fall throughout the year due to severe weather, insect damage, and drought, most needles fall during the autumn and winter of their second year. The seed cones are green, ripening pale buff-brown, 7–13 cm (2+3⁄4–5 in) in length, 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) broad when closed, opening to 4–6 cm (1+1⁄2–2+1⁄4 in) wide, each scale bearing a sharp spine 3 to 6 millimeters (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in) long. Bark is reddish brown and deeply fissured into irregular, broad, scaly plates on older trees. Branches are reddish-brown to dark yellowish brown. Loblolly pines are one of the fastest growing pines, making it a valuable species in the lumber industry. …

With the advent of wildfire suppression, loblolly pine has become prevalent in some parts of the Deep South that were once dominated by longleaf pine and, especially in northern Florida, slash pine. Its rate of growth is rapid, even among the generally fast-growing southern pines. A few select species including moths and beetles' prey upon the young shoots, with one of the most notable being the Nantucket Pine Tip moth. This species bores into the young shoots, consuming the inner shoot tissue. The yellowish, resinous wood is prized for lumber, but is also used for wood pulp. This tree is commercially grown in extensive plantations. Loblolly pine is the pine of the Lost Pines Forest around Bastrop, Texas, and in McKinney Roughs Nature Park along the Texas Colorado River. These are isolated populations on areas of acidic sandy soil, surrounded by alkaline clays that are poor for pine growth. A study using loblolly pines showed that higher atmospheric carbon dioxide levels may help the trees to endure ice storms better.

The word "loblolly" is a combination of "lob", referring to thick, heavy bubbling of cooking porridge, and "lolly", an old British dialect word for "broth, soup, or any other food boiled in a pot". In the southern United States, the word is used to mean "a mudhole; a mire," derived from an allusion to the consistency of porridge, and the pine is generally found in lowlands and swampy areas. Loblolly pines grow well in acidic clay soil, which is common throughout the South, so the pines are prevalent in rural areas. Other old names, now rarely used, include oldfield pine due to its status as an early colonizer of abandoned fields; bull pine due to its size (several other yellow pines are also often so named, especially large isolated specimens); rosemary pine due to loblolly's distinctive fragrance compared to the other southern pines; and North Carolina pine. For the scientific name, Pinus is the Latin name for the pines and taeda refers to the resinous wood.